While the Dubai Stallions want to hold on to their spot atop the EAFL, Abu Dhabi Wildcats coach Charles Gillespie isn’t concerned with standings.
When the two teams meet on Friday at Dubai Sports City, one will earn a spot in the regular season finale to decide the top finisher heading into the playoffs. The benefit of being the top seed is clear, with the winless Al Ain Desert Foxes awaiting whichever team claims first place.
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For Gillespie though, he doesn’t mind the Wildcats staying right where they are in third and being in the same position as last year when they repeated as Desert Bowl champions.
“We were in this position last year, going into the playoffs in third position, so it doesn’t really make a difference to us who we play,” said the Abu Dhabi coach.
“Third place is special to us after what happened to us last year.”
That doesn’t mean the Wildcats will be any less committed to beating the Stallions, who they haven’t played since the second game of the season which ended in a 14-14 tie. Both teams have changed since then, with the Stallions finding their groove and becoming the world-beaters of the league, while the Wildcats struggled until exploding last week against Al Ain.
Abu Dhabi’s offence was charged by running back Vivaldi Tulysse, who ran for three touchdowns and added a receiving score in a career outing. The elusive Tulysse appears to be at full strength after dealing with injuries this season, but Dubai’s defence won’t focus all of its attention on the runner.
Dubai Barracudas will await the winner in the first-place decider after already receiving a victory with Al Ain forced to forfeit due to injuries and a low number of players.
